Caught!
by Gaia caecilia
Summary: Dawnstar Universe & sequel to 'Meditations'. Someone was watching during the events of Meditations, so what happens when Manwe and Varda are confronted about it?


_AN: This be the sequel story to 'Meditations' posted on Rumrum's account. Fairly obviously it is part of the dawnstar universe. If you don't know what that is, don't read or at least go and read 'dawnstar and friend', 'She, sorry they, will be back' and the other Dawnstar stories first. Don't just read this and post a rude review saying i don't get it. (Sorry if this seems a little snapish but someone essentially did that with meditations and both Rumrum and i are still seething slightly at such rude comments from someone who'd only been reading fanfiction for a few days and knew absolutely nothing of what he was talking about.) GaiaCaecilia_

_Anyway, off the rather miffed off rant, to everyone who actually wants to enjoy this, Enjoy! (and review - if you're going to be nice and polite. We can take constructive criticism from people who have any idea what they're talking about we just object to flames)_

Caught.

Ulmö walked into the private sitting-room of his palace to see his beautiful, young wife leaning against the window sill, staring contemplatively at the sea outside. A quick look towards the fire reassured him of his infant son's health. The little boy was curled up between his wife's cat and the boy's own kitten.

The water deity wrapped his arms round Valya's waist and she turned, kissing him gently on the lips before curling into the broad, powerful chest.

"Why so contemplative, lovely one?" he asked his wife gently.

Valya was quiet for a while before answering.

"Oh, I was just considering that Varda and Manwë should pay more attention to who are watching them when they're watching other people." Ulmö looked contemplatively at his wife for a moment, wondering about the comment. Before he had the chance to ask, she pulled him down for a kiss and drew him off somewhere private, thoroughly making him forget about the strangeness of her comment.

XXX

Several of the Valar sat on the lawn with Valya and her extended family – mostly because Varda and the other female Valar wanted to play with the babies. Manwë had, however, taken charge of Ulmö's son and was playing with the half-Valar little boy quite enthusiastically.

As the afternoon went on, the children fell asleep and the adults relaxed. Valya looked up from her position snuggled against Ulmö's chest to the King and Queen of the Valar with an intent look. When Varda frowned at her slightly, she spoke up.

"I was just wondering why you felt it necessary to deliberately exacerbate Great Uncle Adindel's feelings for Ginny and deliberately cause so much suffering? It doesn't strike me as very funny, personally." Valya hadn't raised her voice, but employed the tone of voice her mother used when she was making a moral point; the one that tended to make people feel _really_ guilty.

Everyone there was suddenly very quiet, somehow having heard the statement. Both of the Valar in question went very white, effectively confirming Valya's statement. Adindel first went as white as his gods then went red as shock gave way to anger.

"YOU _WHAT_?" he almost yelled. At several 'don't wake the children', he managed to restrain in his temper – just. Adindel's jaw worked as he attempted to restrain his anger and he closed his eyes; Ginny wrapped her arms round her husband and held him comfortingly while staring at the two Valar in question. Absolute silence reigned.

Eventually, Eleanor spoke,

"Is she right?" Flushing slightly, Varda nodded. Manwë then engaged in showing that he was really not good at applying his brain by opening his mouth and responding petulantly,

"Oh, you have to admit everyone found it funny. Anyway, why shouldn't we play games with them? The Elves are ours." Ellie closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath and let it out slightly before opening her eyes again. Valya curled into her husband's arms, now rather worried. Her mother had only worn that expression when someone had done something _really_ wrong. It meant she was half-an-inch from flying off the handle generally and the person on the receiving end of her would seriously regret something.

"You are like one of my mother's _seven_-year-olds," she spat, obviously talking about her human mother. "You know, I believed you were supposed to be reasonable, thinking _adults_. I'm guessing it was under that misconception that Eru put you in charge. If _that's_ your attitude to the elven races, no wonder the Noldor and then Númenor rebelled against you. _No wonder_ Morgoth found it so easy to form footholds when you behave little better than he!"

Ellie got up and stormed off, breathing deeply as if to calm herself; everyone watched in shock. No one believed that _anyone_ would dare to say that, let alone to Manwë's face. As the Vala in question recovered from his own shock, he turned to Valya.

"You have amazing timing, don't you? I could think of a wealth of better times to have asked about that." Valya went wide-eyed innocent.

"Oh no, I think it timed it perfectly." As Manwë stared at her, she gave him a peculiar little smile and curled even further into her husband's arms. "Maybe you'll learn that people's lives and their hearts _can't_ be played with." She looked up at the sky contemplatively. "On second thoughts, you're too immature for that." Every jaw that had managed to right itself dropped back down to the floor.

XXX

Varda and Manwë sat in their private sitting-room still slightly in shock at the telling-off they'd received. Manwë looked at his wife somewhat plaintively.

"It all ended happily, didn't it? So we didn't really do anything wrong..." he trailed off.

"I think the objections were more to the pain leading up to the event, I have to admit making people suffer isn't very nice..." she also trailed off. Neither had ever really thought through the consequences of their actions before. She suddenly grinned as she thought of a way to cheer her rather morose husband up.

Eyes twinkling, she rose and led her husband to their bedroom and he grinned as he saw the large toy on the bed. He bounced onto the bed and hugged the toy before looking at his wife.

Both laughed as they looked at the huge, stuffed Tigger toy and thought of Charlotte.

It occurred to neither of them just how childish they were being.

Again.

THE END (we think)

_Just a quick advert for anyone interested, fairly soon i shall be posting some new stories, one in the dawnstar universe called 'A Very Interesting Visit' (the kid 'grow up' - well, ish) and one in an entirely new universe called 'Daughter of the Sea'. According to Rumrum, that one starts seeming to be a bit cliched but vastly improves as i send it on my usual road of surprising twists and turns. Will probably be the first of the two stories posted as thats the one i only have one more chapter to do. I'm not sure how many there are for A Very Interesting Visit but i have a lot less of them waiting to be posted partly because it will be a fairly short story._

_GaiaCaecilia_

_(PS look out for new stories in Rumrum's area, we have more planned, mostly 'The Dawnstar Collection' which is basically load of random extra scenes from anywhere in the dawnstar universe that we hadn't put in or thought of later, or whatever. It will probably be the last dawnstar story as all remaining oneshot etc. will be put in there. Both Rumrum and i shall be writing episodes in that and there is a chance that Charlotte - yes the one from the story - will also be writing ones (you'll be able to spot if she joins in by the rating going up to M because she only really writes dirty stories.))_


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